Gilded

By: Christina Farley

Narrated by: Greta Jung

Length: 9 hrs and 49 mins

Publisher's Summary

Sixteen-year-old Jae Hwa Lee is a Korean-American girl with a black belt, a deadly proclivity with steel-tipped arrows, and a chip on her shoulder the size of Korea itself. When her widowed dad uproots her to Seoul from her home in L.A., Jae thinks her biggest challenges will be fitting in to a new school and dealing with her dismissive Korean grandfather. Then she discovers that a Korean demi-god, Haemosu, has been stealing the soul of the oldest daughter of each generation in her family for centuries. And she's next.

But that’s not Jae’s only problem. There's also Marc. Irresistible and charming, Marc threatens to break the barriers around Jae's heart. As the two grow closer, Jae must decide if she can trust him. But Marc has a secret of his own—one that could help Jae overturn the curse on her family for good. It turns out that Jae's been wrong about a lot of things: Her grandfather is her greatest ally, even the tough girl can fall in love, and Korea might just be the home she's always been looking for.

©2014 Christina Farley (P)2013 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Fresh Fun in a Fabulous Setting

One of the first things that struck me about Gilded, besides its ridiculously cool cover designed by Abby Kuperstock, was how fresh the story seemed. If you examine any individual element, it's been done before: protagonist girl with abilities of which she is unaware and a willingness to go where angels dare not tread, the cool and slightly shy boyfriend who the object of the gorgeous girl's desire, the over-worked and slightly overbearing widowed father who hides his true care and concern under a gruff exterior and the insanely powerful, other-worldly bad guy. Then again, I and the best chefs in Paris can use the same ingredients to prepare a meal but you'll want to eat the end result of their cooking over mine. While there is nothing really new under the sun, Christian Farley melds the characters, worlds, writing style and narrative elements to make something really fresh and new. The writing is clear, the dialog crisp and the storyline twisty enough to be fun and keep you guessing while not so winding that you can't remember your way.

As I often do, I went between the Kindle and Audible versions (using Whispersync for Voice to keep a smooth transition). Greta Jung did a beautiful job narrating, fully allowing you to immerse in Jae's world. Her pacing was spot on; I particularly liked her smooth-talking Haemosu.

A decent fantasy tale for Tweens

The story is a somewhat engaging tale targeted at tween-aged girls. It surpassed my willingness to suspend disbelief with too many magical things randomly appearing, perhaps to rescue the author from a difficult turn in the story line.
I found my mind wandering to the question of why the narrator pronounces "st" as "sht". A "shtrong" regionalism, perhaps..

Poorly written

This is the first book in the Gilded series. I enjoyed the Korean setting and mythology but the writing itself was technically lacking and the story was predictable and boring.

I listened to this on audiobook. The narrator did an excellent job with different characters voices and accents. The narration was probably the best part of this book for me.

Some of the technical issues with this book were that the dialogue between characters was very simple and awkward sounding. Additionally, there were places where the wrong tense (past and present) are used interchangeably. This book could have benefited from better editing.

The story was also lacking. Our heroine makes the same mistakes over and over again and never seems to grow or change as a character despite, her experiences. The ending was predictable and the at times just plain boring.

Overall this was a poorly written book and I was happy when it was over. If I hadn't been listening to it on audiobook I probably would have stopped reading it. I won't be continuing with the series which is too bad because the Korean setting and mythology were intriguing.

Loved it. Haven't heard 1 like it

Really enjoyed this story. I hadn't heard one like it and thoroughly enjoyed hearing about the different myths and culture. Great story

Gilded

While this is not my favorite type of book, overall I really enjoyed it, holding my intrest from start to finish. It's squeaky clean & perfect for the whole family to read together.
There's a couple of kisses, explained in detail, because of the deep feelings involved. But no one starts explaining how the rest of their body begins to feel, while they're kissing... the way "Young Adult" novels do.
& while the main character Jay, is super fighsty, the language is clean. Clean without being a geek. The worst thing she might say is "go to hell!"...
I would catagorize this book as a "Classic Adventure" for the whole family, the kind you read more than once.

Incredible Korean Fantasy

Very impressive fantasy, and the narrator's voice is beautiful. There were a few flaws in the production and narration - gaps and too long pauses but nothing that detracts from the fantastical journey the listener is about to embark on. In GILDED you will find a teenage girl with phenomenal skills in martial arts and archery but also a huge chip on her shoulders who is trying to succeed in a top international school as an honor studies student. Our hero must learn to trust others as she discovers she is the direct descendant of an ancient curse.
I look forward to the next book in the series and wish the author and narrator continued success.

Great Reader

This is worth listening to just to hear the reading. The reader was very good.

Kindle First to Fan

Would you listen to Gilded again? Why?

The story is engaging and the details of South Korea paint a beautiful image. I have read the book, listened to the audiobook, and already began the second story in the series. Farley's writing and Jung's voice create a story that I would listen to again to follow Jae Hwa through her trials.

What other book might you compare Gilded to and why?

I would compare it to Hunger Games. Jae Hwa is a teenage girl put in an impossible situation that forces her to dig deep within herself. The protagonist also has to learn to accept help from family and friends despite fearing for their safety.

What does Greta Jung bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I appreciate her slight variations in character voices. She also seems to be familiar with the story as though she is Jae Hwa.

Any additional comments?

I was introduced to Farley through the Kindle First program. I enjoyed the book so much I decided to sign up for Audible.

Princess Diaries meets Urban Fantasy

I have read a LOT of urban fantasy & I have yet to read one that is quite so odd & yet really, really good.
The main character starts out super angst-y teenager & even as she is being dragged into a world of Korean mythology (well done & super interesting) she seems to spend at least half her time moping that she isn't normal anymore & being all dramatic...
Weirdly still a great book & a likeable main character although the writing in the beginning is kind of....choppy? It doesn't flow...
I keep thinking of reasons why I shouldn't like it but honestly I really enjoyed it. Not the best book ever but still very much worth reading, if only for the Korean mythology.